LIHUE — Hawaii Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono on Wednesday accused Attorney General William Barr of lying to Congress and called for his resignation.
“You told Senator Chris Van Hollen that you didn’t know if Bob Mueller supported your conclusions. But you knew. You lied,” she told Barr during a contentious Senate Judiciary Committee hearing about his handling of the special counsel investigation.
Barr defended himself against an onslaught of criticism from Hirono and other Democrats, who accused him of intentionally misrepresenting the conclusions of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
“A lot of respected nonpartisan legal experts and elected officials were surprised by your efforts to protect the president, but I wasn’t surprised,” Hirono told Barr. “You did exactly what I thought you’d do. It’s why I voted against your confirmation.”
Hirono pointed out that in 1989, as head of the Office of Legal Counsel, Barr refused to show Congress a controversial opinion issued by his office supporting the legality of apprehending suspects in other countries without permission, and an incident three years later, when he recommended pardons for the subjects of the Iran-Contra scandal.
“And last year, when you wrote the 19-page memo telling Donald Trump that a president can’t be guilty of obstruction of justice and then didn’t recuse yourself from the matter. From the beginning, you were addressing an audience of one — Donald Trump,” she said.
Hirono then questioned the attorney general on his personal feelings about Trump’s conduct.
“Do you think all of the things that President Trump did are OK?” she asked Barr. “Are they what the president of the United States should be doing? For example, do you think it’s OK for a president to fire an FBI director to stop investigating links between his campaign and Russia?”
Hirono’s questioning came to an abrupt end when Sen. Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina and the committee chairman, broke in to scold her for unfairly characterizing Barr.
“Listen, you’ve slandered this man,” Graham said. “You slandered this man from top to bottom.”
After a short exchange, Hirono said to Graham: “You certainly have your opinion. And I have mine.”
In a phone interview shortly after the hearing Wednesday, Hirono spoke to The Garden Island further about what prompted her outrage toward the attorney general and talked briefly about how she expects the drama surrounding the Trump administration to unfold.
Hirono said Barr has spent the last few months — he was appointed Attorney General on Feb. 7 after confirmation by the Senate in a vote split down party lines — acting “more like the president’s personal lawyer,” than the nation’s top law enforcement official.
“Barr’s credibility is shot as far as I’m concerned,” she said. “He has not behaved independently.”
Hirono and 11 other senators sent a letter to the DOJ Inspector General’s office on Tuesday calling for an investigation into Barr’s handling of the special counsel’s report.
When asked whether the Senate will take any action against Trump based on special counsel’s findings, Hirono was doubtful.
“Sadly, we do not have a chair willing to go further,” she said, referring to the fact that the Senate Judiciary Committee is led by Graham, a staunch Trump supporter.
Hirono was cautiously optimistic about her party’s chances of winning back the presidency.
When asked whether she intends to support her fellow Hawaiian legislator, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who announced her candidacy for president in January, Hirono said nothing for a few long seconds.
“There is a pause,” she said finally. “Because the kind of candidate I would support would have a consistent record of progressive support.”
You go Mazie Hirono! You have been a standout in the Senate for your willingness to call out Trump as well for the liar that he is, calling a spade a spade and not mincing words. Perilous times for our democracy call for bold action and unfettered honesty, not least because the spineless invertebrates that call themselves republican wouldn’t pass the smell test for patriots with the likes of Lincoln, TR and Reagan. Your strength is the more admirable in the face of a battle with kidney cancer—you show them what it takes every day and keep up the fight until we rid the land of the aberrant scofflaw that sits in the White House—with his band of enabling cronies Barr, McConnell, Graham and the rest. Godspeed, and know there is a majority of reasoning people in this country behind you. As you told William Barr today, we do know “what the hell is going on.”
Crazie Mazie is an embarrassment. Sounds like she is still infected with TDS and toting the leftist collusion delusion propaganda. Really fair for this article to leave out Barr’s response and defense. Mazie needs a sock for her mouth.
Aloha Kakou,
At least Ms Hirono brings up one good point, how many US Congress and US Senators are not born in the United States? You would think that people elected to the highest offices in our country would at least be from our country, that is born in our country and not born in a Foreign Country.
Ms. Hirono is a not a native of the United States, as she was born in a Foreign Country. This may not be the first time she has been advised by liars and ignorant people to, as Senator Graham says, slander people who are undeserved of such attacks.
Can’t the Hawaii Democratic Party send a real AMERICAN to represent us in Washington, DC ?
Veracity should start at birth…! Elect Tulsi for Senator, her birth and military service are a solid foundation of her veracity representing all of us here in Hawaii, when she is in Washington, DC representing all of us there.
When you listen to the ignorant, and / or liars and act on their advice, they can make you one one of them too…!
Mahalo,
Charles
Get off your high horse Charlie and stop the personal attacks on Hawaii’s democratically elected US Senator.
Barr disrespected the Senate with his arrogance and refusal to answer legitimate questions.
Barr has previously lied to Congress when he testified to not knowing if Mueller agreed with his summary of the investigation.
Clearly, Barr should resign and Mueller must be called to testify.
Stick to the facts.
First, her mother was a US citizen, that makes her one, too. Second she moved to Hawaii before it was a state. How would she have been born in the State of Hawaii??
I’m sure you’re already aware of that, but you want to spread misinformation just to further your narrative.
She is fast to accuse, anyone surprised?
This woman is an embarrassment, what a joke HI has become with her as it’s mouthpiece.
Hirono is a partisan hack. She vehemently attacks anyone not in line with the DNC agenda. I’m so tired of hearing about her venomous political rhetoric. We need better representation in Washington and should consider a non-legacy politician next election cycle. Despite our opinions about the president, our representatives should work toward better policy and the betterment of Hawai’i.
Barr is Trump’s lackey and should resign for lying to Cingress.
Crazy Mazie is a partisan hack. What a disgrace!
Great job, Senator!
Dumb and Dumber? What an Embarrassment for the Islands!
The Maxine Watters of the Pacific? This is a Reflection on the Citizens of Hawaii. Shame on us,we are not all nitwits as Percieved by Mainlanders!
“The Maxine Watters of the Pacific”
That made my day!
I watched the whole exchange and Hirono was disrespectful and was acting more like a bully then someone who represents the state of Hawaii. She has serious TDS
AG Barr was disrespectful to the Senate. Mazie was right to scold him.
How did Hawaii vote in the worst Senator in the History of our State? This mess of a human is the ugliest representative our people could have chosen. Every time she opens her mouth she embarrasses our State, and it’s voters, in front of the entire world! If we don’t get rid of this Cancer we will become a bankrupt, human waste, magnet just like California, New York, and so many other areas infected with the Cancer that’s eaten this psychopath’s soul. She will destroy everything that gives our beautiful state it’s beauty, work ethic, freedom and Aloha! We on Kauai will no longer have to worry about becoming another Honolulu, we will have to suffer the results of becoming another California or New York. It will take very little time to destroy all that is Kauai/Hawaii, just ask pathetic “we destroyed ourselves” California! Hirono is the band leader to hell in immeasurable ways. Vote this Cretan out of office before it’s too late!! God help us.
The cancer that infects the United States is continued republican support for a serial molester who conducts himself with undeniable dishonesty, immorality, racism, classism, sexism and bigotry, just because he is “on your side.” Those infected have lost their integrity and their souls!
That’s nice. And what has she done for Hawaii lately? Wasn’t she elected to address our issues in Congress? And help stop illegal immigration? And issues like that? Instead she self promotes. Worthless……….
Maxie was brilliant. Washington needs more people like her in Congress.
And we need to get rid of the ones who only suck up to the lobbyists for their millions in campaign dollars.
What an embarrassing level of trolldom oozes out from our corner of the ‘land of aloha’ in the form of sophomoric, puerile ad hominem—words that ridicule (ugliest? cretan? dumb? infected?) —and perhaps most astonishingly for a place of such cultural diversity the one who’s name appropriately rhymes with kim chee displaying his xenophobic bigotry for all to see. All share one trait: unable to articulate a single specific beef having to do with governance they draw from the troll’s bag of inchoate hate and in the process spew mud on themselves and these pages. Shame we can’t do better. I realize there’s a minority here for whom Trumpism has its appeal—surely it has somewhere a few voices who can mount a better than 5th grade defense? In case no one noticed the byline on this article, it wasn’t pulled from the wire SVCs—Ms Hirono spoke directly to a tgi reporter. I sincerely hope if she glances toward the comments section she won’t linger long enough to sigh at the prospect of Kauai still lingering in the intellectual backwaters of this otherwise blessed archipelago.
Mazie is a wingnut. She’s wrong every time she opens her mouth. Another embarrassing episode for the state of West California. Tulsi is the only chance we have for hearing any substantive debate on foreign policy in the debates next year
You tell em auntie!
I stopped reading her verbal diarrhea after the third sentence. A glimmering shine of what the DNC has succumbed to..shouting, name calling, and threats – why? All to create further diversions (smoke and mirrors) to hide the lies, treasonous actions, and disgraceful things her party is now swearing by. If the DNC would just accept that Prez Trump won even though voter fraud was rampant, and that they work for US CITIZENS, they might be worth a fraction of the salaries we are paying them. GET TO WORK YOU BUMS.
If Barr chooses to obfuscate and avoid the truth while acting as President Dumpsterfire’s stooge in front of Congress, and the world, he deserves to hear about it. Good on Hawaii for electing someone willing to speak truth to power.